What rods in a z1000j based motor?

Hi all,
What rods should I use in a built z1000j/gpz1100ut based motor?
I just popped the stock crank apart on the press, and split a welded funnybike crank apart built with suzuki rods and custom noses for the rods and blower drive nose, and the funny crank is based round the earlier z1000 base with 29mm big end pins, and the 1000j motor uses 31mm big end pins so its a no go. I can bore out the noses to 31mm to match my crank nicely and that will remove damage from pressing the welded parts apart too, but I cant use the rods like I was hoping.

So I'm now searching for more options. Rebuild a small pin z1 crank and run it in the later cases with the funny parts? or is there some other rod which is compatible with the 31mm pin crank?

we use falicon knife rods along with some of our own rods out of 4340. They are a lot of work to build but a lot stronger than falicons. but for off the shelf stuff you are probably looking at falicons as some of the crank builders that have a certain supply will not sell just the rods. We also pin the cranks giving them added strength.

we use falicon knife rods along with some of our own rods out of 4340. They are a lot of work to build but a lot stronger than falicons. but for off the shelf stuff you are probably looking at falicons as some of the crank builders that have a certain supply will not sell just the rods. We also pin the cranks giving them added strength.

Hi Walter, Interesting to read that you fabricate your own rods, I guess you forge the blanks for improved grain structure then finish machine them. I think forging is outside my league of what I can do in my workshop but still interesting to read up on the grade of alloy steel you select for the task.
I have used pins drilled along the axis of what would be the big end journal so the resultant hole half intersects the pin and half the journal to lock shafts to pulleys in the past and planned to pursue this idea with a carbide drill and a 6mm pin on the inside face of the web where there is the most casting strength. May I ask how many of these pins you insert to lock the pins, and do you pin the main bearing journal's as well as the big end pin's?

Right now falicon rods work out as expensive, since I will have to pay a huge amount of import duty on top of the $880 a set of four rods list out at. I was hoping to find a near strength equivalent to the katana oem rods on the kz1000 crank for the z1000j/1100 crank base as there is already things I'm having to save hard to purchase ahead in the ever growing queue for funds. But I guess everyone is in that boat to some degree.

Bob, reusing the special noses and the thrust washers & bearings for sure, the ones from the 1100 crank are beat up compared to the condition of the ones you gave me, and I think lots of people have been caught off guard by small differences between kz1000 and z1000j motors over the years. When people referred to big and small pin cranks, I thought they referenced the size of the centre bearing area, not the big end pin size. It's all part of the learning experience, and if it wasn't a challenge it wouldn't be so interesting.

My mistake, now reusing the special noses after they've been bored to suit the z1000j throws, and shims, but cant use the bearings because... they're a different size on the ID.
I have found another 1100 u/t crank supposedly in top notch condition and unmolested, so perhaps Ill go with the stock 1100 unitrack rods (stronger than kz) and pin and weld it properly and hope it stays together.

We install pins on all joints 13mmdiam first ones we did used 6mm pins they did not hold. Yes the rods are extreemly expensive to build, Falicons are the best off the shelf situation.the katana rods others are using I am not sure if anyone sells them seperatly. We also are building some billet alum rods for a test crank. We are building enough stuff for next years race season the looking to go ZX14r. these air cooled engines are hard to keep together plus we are always dealing with a parts supply issue from suppliers they always sell you on their goods but delivery its wanting. It would seem that some of this stuff is so limited availability one has to stock enough parts far ahead of race season and lots of them. I do a lot of work for cdn racers and that US border since 911 sure has grown customs in canada can be a real pain. Suppliers every where are dealing with the same problem with getting anything done from there own supply network so it grows into a problem everyone gets to enjoy hell if it wasn,t fun then it would really suck eh,